Indicator for vehicles.



P.DUNSHEATH.

INDICATOR FOR VEHiCLES. I [APPLICATION FILED DEC-1311913.

1 1 87,286. Patented June 13, 1916.

Y fizaezaiai' Y e a/i k.

2 /wsa a PERCY DUNSI-IEATH, 0F WEMBLEY,-ENGLAND.

INDICATQB FOR VEHICLES..

Application filed December 13,1913.

To (ZZZ u-hom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY DUNSHEATH; a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 1'? Bowrons avenue ll'embley, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

h'lv'invention relates to improvements in indicators for vehicles.

In heavy city trafiic the stopping of motor vehicles without anyv warning to those following is liable to cause collisions and to avoid this the usual practice is for the driver to signal to the drivers of following vehicles his intention of slowing down or stopping 'vehicle by means of devices driven from the road wheels; but my invention relates to the use ofa device which will indicate retard tion and not speed, which will be self-contained and not mechanically operated externally in any 11121111'161',*3D(l which will give a arning signal whenever the speed of the vehicle on which it is fixed is reduced The invention also comprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts which willhereinatter be described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :Fi,qure 1 is a longitudi nal verticalsection of the indicator. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the'indicator. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the operating' mechanisnn Fig. at is a similar view of a modified form of same.

C indicates a cylindrical casing, closed at its ends by heads P. P, which support two spindles S and K. Suspended freely from the upperspindle K, by means of two arms A A is a weight IV, one ofsaid arms A being provided with a rearwardly extending rack It, located under the spindle S. ()n the central spindle S are two freely swing ing arms cZ(Z, .to the outer ends of which is fastened a semi-cylindrical shutter D, which normally sandwiches in between a transparent Window T in the case, and a Screen Q, marked in some distinctive manner as with the word Stop Mounted to freely rota e tin-the spindle Specification of Letters Btent.

the weight to the shutter.

Patented June 13, 1916.

Serial No. 806,584.

C, is a pinion N which meshes with the rack R, which transmitsthe swinfiing motion of uxtending from one o-i' the arms a, is a plate H, having its curved edge provided with a notch h. in which operates a "finger L extending from the pinion X. A fiat adjustable spring" B provides a friction damping on the swinging of the weight, and a spiral spring M opposes the opening of the shutter in the clockwise direction when weight \V moves to the left (Fig. 2).

In operation, assuming the vehicle is mov ing forwardly and the speed reduced, the weight will by momentum swing forwardly in direction of the arrow in 2. This forward movement of the weight is resisted by the spring M, and is retarded in its'return movement by the spring B. When the weight swings forwardly the rack .R' rotates the pinion N, whereupon the finger contacts with one of the'walls of the non-h h, and through the plate H, arms (I swin the shutter D, and expose the sign Stopto warn the driver on a vehicle following: to stop or slow down. Of course, the degree of opening the shutter is determined by the suddenness of the retardation oftlge vehicle.

The slot h is provided so as to prevent the shutter swinging under the influence of ordinary road regulations, or the usualjjolting of the car.

Obviously when the speed of the vehicle carrying; the device decreases the weight will swing and'cause the shutter to uncover the screen, the uncovering of the screen being proportionate with the acuteness and duration of the decrease of speed. When the vehicle is moving at a fixed speed, of course the shutter remains closed. If the brakes of the vehicle be applied suddenly. the momentum of the weight will cause the shutter to open wide. and if the speed of the vehicle is I again increased the shutter will again close In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of operating means. In this figure one of the arms (I is provided with an extension 0". and pivoted thereto is a dash pot ri. ()peratingin the dash pot is a plunger, the stem of which is pivoted to an extension L", attached to the pinion X. This construction takes the place of the notch 72 and the finger operating thereins In this torm of the iii- 'vention the lost motion necessary to :prevent operation of the shutter under ordinary jolting of the car occurs when the plunger starts its moveiiientin the dash pot, and the "a r escapes.

Qf course, when the vehicle stops suddenly the quick thrust of the plunger'in the dash pot acts more or less as a rigid connection.

' atI claim is 1. In an apparatus of the class described,

the combination of a casing formed with guides, a shutter operating in the guides,

means supporting the shutter, said means.

comprising an arm, a swinging weight mounted in the casing, means to support the swinging weight, said last named means comprising an arm having teeth, a freely rotatable gear which engages the said teeth, means between the gear and said first mentioned arm tooperate the shutter when the weightis swung by momentum by the movement of a vehicle carrying the apparatus.

2. In an apparatus of the class described,

the' combination of a casing formed with guides, shutter operating in the guides, a weightin the casing, means for supporting the weight to permit the latter to swing by momentum, ope 'ating means between said weight supporting means and the shutter whereby the latter is caused to be operated when saidweight moves a predetermined distance, said operating means having lost motion to prevent movement of the shutter der slightmovements cf the weight.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing provided with a signal, a shutter operating over a portion of the casing and normally covering the contact with one wall of the notch and operate the shutter to expose the signal.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing provided with a signal, a shutter normally covering the signal, means including a pendulum which swings when a moving vehicle to which the appa 'atus is attached is slowed down to operate the shutter-in one direction to expose the signal. and a butter spring to retard the movement of the pendulum when the latter is operated by its momentum.

In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a casing provided with a signal, a shutter which normally covers the signal, arms for pivotally supporting the shutter, one of said arms having a notch, a weight, means for pivotally mounting the weight, said means including a segmental "ach, a friction. spring engaging said latter means, a pinion engaging the segmental rack, means carried by said pinion cooperating with the notch for permitting slight movement of the weight and pinion independently of the shutter, said means adapted to subsequently engage a wall of thenotch to operate'the shutter when the weight is moved by momentum a predetermined distance. i

6. In an' apparatus of the class described, the combination of a-plate having a signal,

afshutter normally covering the signal, a.

weight which swung by momentum by the movement of a vehicle to wh ch the apparatus is attached, mechanism between the weight and the shutter to operate the latter to uncover the signal, said mechanism including means for preventing minor movements of the weight operating the shutter,

and a butter for the weight. v

7. An indicator of the character described comprising. acasing formed with a signal, a shutter normally covering the opening,

a swinging weight operable by momentum when the speed of a vehicle is reduced, and means between the weight and the shutter for operating the shutter by the movement of said weight. I

In testimony whereof I afiix mysignat'ure in presence oftwo witnesses.

PERCY DUNSHEATH.

Vitnesses TRACY LAY, HERBERT D. JALIESON. 

